Strategic Plan: Covid Response Statement 2021-22 - Scottish Charity: SC 003139 - Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust

Strategic Plan: Covid
                              Response Statement
                                     2021-22

Scottish Charity: SC 003139

Chairperson Maggie Wilkins
Since Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust was established in 1988, it has made a significant contribution to
conserving, enhancing and promoting the rich historic environment of the area. Perth and Kinross occupies a
special place in Scottish history, and prehistory, and our enormous and wide-ranging remit includes conservation of
the historic built environment, embracing archaeological sites and landscapes, historic buildings and structures,
historic gardens and battlefields.

This statement is designed as a supplement to our Strategic Plan 2017-2022 and serves as an update on how the
pandemic has interrupted some of our planned work, explains how we intend to respond to the challenges it
continues to present, and shows how we will adjust some of our strategy to take account of lessons learned. It has
been produced for our funders, other third sector organisations, stakeholders and the public.

A significant recent development has been our move to the A-listed, and long neglected, Lower City Mills in Perth.
Our aspiration is to afford public access once again to this gem of Scottish historic agri-industry, and to create a new
base for our operations, a centre of excellence for historic environment conservation and learning, and a hub for
Scottish milling history. Having relocated our offices in late 2019, and with funding applications submitted by the end
of that year, sadly by March 2020 the world-changing impact of the Coronavirus pandemic was becoming apparent.
Both of these significant changes in our operating environment have prompted this interim review.

The aim of the document is to ensure we retain focus on our objectives while maximising the benefits of being an

                                                                                                                           Photo: RobertsonGroup
agile and responsive third sector organisation. We need to ensure we remain well-placed to make a lasting
difference, both physically to the buildings we repair, and socially and economically to the communities we engage
with.

Further to the immense impact of COVID19 on the Scottish heritage sector over 2020, this review presents
how our ongoing and planned activities will contribute to post-COVID social and economic recovery in the
light of the new financial environment and social restrictions. Our objective is also to improve our operations
through lessons learned over the lockdowns with the aim of increasing resilience, environmental sustainability,
and the overall well-being of the organisation.

The short-term impact on the Trust over 2020 was twofold: the logistics of lockdowns and home-working;
and the cessation of available funding for new projects, a result of the understandable focus of funders on
emergency support. The majority of our ongoing projects and services were able to continue through 2020,
albeit with inevitable delays. A number of planned new projects, such as a Conservation Area Regeneration
Scheme, a Traditional Buildings Healthcheck Scheme, and most significantly, the Lower City Mills project,
were postponed. At the time of writing, almost a full year on, there is continued uncertainty around when and if
funding for such projects will become available again.

As elsewhere, the considerable wider impact of COVID19 on Perth and Kinross has been both social and
economic. Approaching a full year into restricted social interaction, the negative impact has affected everyone.
Economically the lockdowns have amplified existing inequalities, with those worst affected being the young,
the low-skilled and those in poverty. Further both urban and rural economies have suffered massively, and the
detrimental impact looks set to continue through 2021 (at the very least) prior to recovery.

Building Back Better through the historic environment
The historic environment and activities around our shared built heritage, can contribute both socially and economically in both the short and longer-term. Our vision is to
embrace and value our shared historic environment, and to employ this valuable asset to contribute to social and economic recovery following the impact of
Covid-19 over 2020-21 and beyond. In addition, we aim to build back better as a more robust organisation learning from the lockdowns to become more
environmentally sustainable with the aim of:

•    bringing economic and social benefit to the local area through conserving and celebrating the rich and unique archaeological and built historic environment of Perth
     and Kinross;
•    improving employability opportunities by promoting and supporting people to develop the skills needed to manage and maintain our heritage;
•    working to increase and enhance the ways in which children and young people and communities understand and value the built heritage of Perth and Kinross;
•    realising the potential of Perth to become a vibrant, thriving city while supporting rural communities to enhance their local heritage.

Lower City Mills
       In October 2019, the Trust embarked on an exciting new chapter in our story: moving our operations to existing
       office accommodation within the A-listed Lower City Mills in Perth. The building, held in Common Good, retains
       much of the original mill machinery, and was a working mill and visitor centre through much of the 1990s. Our
       benevolent lease from Perth & Kinross Council has been secured to support repair of the building to find a
       sustainable use with the vision:

       “to create a centre of excellence for architectural conservation, traditional building skills and other heritage-based
       education through the conservation and restoration of Lower City Mills itself, and to enable public access that
       enhances the understanding and appreciation of the mill’s historical significance, milling history and the
       importance of hydro-power.”

Photos: Mike Bell

Photos: Mike Bell
•   Our business plan proposed a 3-4 year project to repair the building and mill machinery with a
    programme of public education and training as part of the work. The Trust aspires to make the mill an
    exemplar of conservation best practice.

•   Our main funding bids, submitted in late 2019 for a 2021 start, have been delayed as the principal
    heritage funders review their schemes. While we have considered a phased approach, over a longer
    period and with a wider range of funders, this is not our preferred option due to the increased risks it
    entails.

•   We originally saw sub-letting of office space, to local charities or other heritage organisations, as an
    income stream to support public access to the mill. The Covid pandemic is expected to change the
    way people use office space and we are now considering other options post-Covid, including training
    workshops and shared, serviced office space.

•   In the longer-term we aspire to put the mill into production again as a way to engage new
    audiences in heritage through high-quality local produce – and we are investigating feasibility both in
    terms of water power and financial viability.

•   We support Perth & Kinross Council’s proposed Lade Management Plan, to enhance the condition and
    use of the wider lade corridor and we also plan to develop micro-renewable solutions to make Lower
    City Mills a carbon-neutral building once restored.

Social and Economic recovery
While tourism, and particularly international tourism, has been hard hit by the pandemic, there are
green shoots through domestic tourism and an increased interest by people in learning about their
local areas. The rich historic environment of Perth and Kinross, along with its natural heritage and
countryside, is of international standard and has a key role in the economic recovery of the area,
and in securing well-being for residents and visitors.
The promotion of access to high-quality built heritage, along with countryside and local food
and drink, is key to promoting rural Scotland as a destination. While the new Museum to open in
Perth City Hall in 2024 will showcase the area’s cultural heritage, the condition of the historic built
environment across Perth in particular remains a concern, however.
Significant investment is required to ensure that city centre residential property, usually historic
tenements in multiple ownership, meet an appropriate repairing standard and contribute positively
to making Perth a vibrant and attractive city. Current thinking suggests the future for ‘High
Street’ retail will be independent, niche and with added social value, such as artisan events. The
excellent survival of Perth’s historic shopfronts is ideal canvas for this type of commercial
regeneration.
Our recent emphasis on skills training, with so many social and economic rewards, also has much
to contribute to post-COVID recovery. These projects provide training that improves employment
opportunities for young people while repairing our shared historic environment.

Case study: Perth City Heritage Fund
Since 2012, we have encouraged the conservation of Perth's historic buildings through grant-assistance
towards high-quality repairs using traditional materials and techniques to best conservation practice. The
scheme is funded by Historic Environment Scotland as part of the Scottish Government’s regeneration
strategy for cities and is delivered in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council.

Using Digital resources
During the social lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, digital connectivity and our ability to share
information and meet remotely proved invaluable. However there is clearly a pent up need
for renewed social interaction and engagement with the physical environment and in
particular the local environment around us.
While digital platforms allow us to engage with new audiences across the planet, they
are arguably of limited social and economic benefit in post-Covid recovery. Indeed, large

                                                                                               Photo: Julie Howden
numbers of people have no online access or lack digital skills. A mix of digital and
traditional materials is clearly required, so we will:

•    Develop and improve our social media presence and digital offer, for example
     through learning webinars and digital events;
•    Use digital connectivity to reduce unnecessary travel, helping with our carbon
     footprint;

•    Maintain a blend of traditional and online publicity and outreach materials to
     ensure we are engaging as widely and as inclusively as possible.

                                                                                               Image: Smart History/Pavo Interpretation
Case study: Perth Interpretation Project
In 2020, we updated a series of 12 interpretation boards across Perth city centre for Perth
and Kinross Council. To inform residents and visitors about the medieval burgh these
innovatively link to Virtual Reality(VR) modelling created by our Tay Landscape Partnership.

Aspirational projects
Before Covid-19 we were developing a number of exciting new projects, which have been
delayed or postponed while the main heritage bodies review available funding.

•   Supported by The Gannochy Trust, we are seeking a regeneration solution for the
    Kinnoull Conservation Area, and specifically the long-term dilapidation of properties
    at Bridgend. We await the outcome of Historic Environment Scotland’s funding review,
    while investigating other options through the Perth City Heritage Fund.

•   We have been developing a Traditional Buildings Health Check Scheme to
    encourage proactive maintenance of traditional buildings within Perth and Kinross.
    Based on the Stirling pilot, inspired by the Dutch ‘Monument Watch’, it is based on the
    ethos that ‘prevention is better than cure’ and has significant long-term potential to
    enhance Perth as a city.

•   Community archaeology projects are in great demand following the success of our
    citizen science archaeology projects over the last decade, we will develop new
    projects to engage rural communities in their ancient past.

•   Accredited vocational Teaching has been a long-term aspiration for the ‘outdoor
    classroom’ work we have done through, for example, the GlenShee Archaeology
    Project. We aim to develop, in partnership with Perth University of the Highlands and
    Islands (UHI), a programme of accredited teaching on field and desk-based
    archaeological practice for university students from far and wide.

Organisational improvement: environmental sustainability
As we are permitted post-pandemic to move beyond lockdown, we will improve our carbon
foot print by:

•   Seeking a reasonable balance between home and office working to reduce commuter
    miles;
•   Reducing carbon emissions by encouraging digital meetings and using public transport,
    rather than cars, whenever possible;
•   When travel does require car use – sharing whenever possible and limiting journeys;
•   Reduce, Re-use and Recycle: recycling all waste possible;
•   Avoiding unnecessary plastics and secure items of natural materials whenever
    possible;
•   Sourcing renewable energy for the office.

Organisational improvement: improving wellbeing
We will seek to continuously improve the wellbeing of the organisation’s staff and
volunteers by:

•   Seeking a reasonable balance between home and office working to help with
    commuting time;
•   Promoting work-life balance through flexible working hours and part-time working;
•   Supporting staff through Continued Professional Development and both formal and
    informal learning.

Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust is well-placed to work with a range of partners
and both geographical communities and communities of interest, within the context
of national, regional and local agendas. The Trust anticipates meeting the
challenge of working in the changed operational environment which is inevitable
over the next decade.

This statement shows how we aim to contribute to wider post-COVID social and
economic recovery while building back better as a more resilient and
environmentally sustainable organisation.

We look forward to making a difference over the decades to come.

 Supported by

                                                                                    Photo: George Logan